This month The Round Robin blog hoppers are discussing critique groups or partners and their value and place in a writer’s craft. I thought I’d start my post with a few comments from top selling authors. Not everyone agrees with me, you’ll see.

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Stephen King generally advises caution with critique groups, emphasizing that writing should be done with the "door closed" to maintain an authentic voice. While he recognizes the value of trusted feedback, he warns against letting too many outside voices dilute a story, suggesting only to trust feedback if 7 or 8 people in a group identify the same issue. 

David Baldacci is open to feedback but cautious about incorporating outside ideas. Rather than a traditional, large critique group, Baldacci emphasizes that writing is a solitary endeavor that requires getting into the right "mental encampment" to develop the story without outside influence.

Lee Child sees effective critique groups as generally valuable for gaining diverse perspectives. Critique groups can be invaluable for finding, fixing, and strengthening a manuscript, providing support for the solitary writing journey.

Vince Flynn described his process for breaking down stories as sitting in a room with writers and creators, bouncing ideas off each other in a session that was "very creative, competitive, honest, funny and brutal."

Nora Roberts and Diana Gabaldon don’t see much value in critique groups. Roberts believes a writer’s first draft is a private act. She has famously said, "I don’t believe in critique groups. I think they can be very damaging to a writer, especially a new writer." Gabaldon, similarly, has stated that she has never used a writing critique group, nor would she, noting that she "doesn't work that way."

Sarah Maas, on the other hand, has a single trusted critique partner. They exchange work to keep each other on track with character arcs and to maintain excitement for the story during the drafting process.

Nicholas Sparks also suggests the immense value of a critique partner and trusted editorial feedback in his writing process, often attributing the success of his early career and the polish of his novels to this collaboration. He has noted that while he writes the draft, he relies on a "critique partner.”

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So, it would seem that whatever works best for you personally is the choice you need to make for yourself. Some writers I know are members of large groups that meet in person on a monthly basis. Personally, I can’t imagine a vast circle of people having the time to make concrete comments without the meeting lasting for hours. Other writers I know have no critique of their work, either from one or two individuals or a group until the manuscript lands on their editor’s desk.

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Then there are people like me – halfway in between. Early in my writing I had a single critique partner – a woman already published with best sellers to her name. If I had not had her thoughtful input during those early efforts, I might never have produced anything worthy to be published, nor had the confidence to try. I have since had other single critique partners who have offered feedback on my work while it’s in progress, especially one lady, a mystery writer herself, who kept me focused on the mystery when I was writing my first mystery.  

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But at the moment, I’m part of a small group of 4 writers. We call ourselves the Sandy Scribblers. Early on we met in person on a monthly basis in a lovely old bookstore. When the bookstore closed, we were invited to meet in a library and one of the men who worked there became part of the group for a while. Then Covid happened and the libraries all closed. Before long we were having Zoom meetings that worked so well and were so comfy – who doesn’t like kicking back in your recliner in your jammies with whatever beverage you choose? – that when the libraries reopened, we continued with the Zoom option.

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We have no rules past being respectful and caring. Sometimes an idea or scene in a work in progress is just so unworkable that it gets gently torn apart, but usually, it’s like a four-way “what-if” brainstorming to figure out the best way to get from point A to point B. Sometimes one of us has really hit a roadblock or has an entirely new idea to float and we’ll send out an attached file ahead of the meeting. This gives the rest of us time to read and think about either the problem being considered or the new idea. Then when the meeting gets underway, we share our thoughts and any notes we might have jotted down.

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Since we rarely actually SEE each other in person now, our meetings always begin with catching up socially, but once that business is done, each of us has a chance to present their current work, what they are doing, how they feel about it, what issues might have come up etc. Then we all discuss together. One member of our group I call my personal “Mayhem” like the guy for Allstate Insurance. She comes up with some of the most awful possibilities for my characters. Which is actually a big plus since I tend to be too easy on them. I want all my characters, except the villain, of course, to have wonderful lives and I hate to throw bad stuff their way. But tension and crisis is where the heart of the book comes out. I need my Mayhem to keep my characters guessing.

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Sometimes one of us will be at a crossroads with either a character or the plot wondering which way to go. If one way: then how to fix this earlier bit? If another way: how to get there? Brainstorming in a small group like this is an awesome way to come up with ideas and trigger alternate solutions to where you are in your plot. Any one of us might hear half a dozen or more possibilities. We might end up all agreeing and that’s the way the author ends up going. But more often, all the various insights into the current scene/problem/conflict just get your own juices flowing so the next time you sit looking at the manuscript you have ideas on where to go next.

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But the single most important part of the group is the energy it creates. I might have come to the meeting wondering if I should even pursue an idea for a scene or a new book or series, but I leave excited, a fire lit that might not have been so bright before and eager to sit my butt down and get writing again - or toast a marshmellow or two.

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So, now it’s time to check out what my fellow Blog Hoppers have to say on the subject:

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Anne Stenhouse 

Connie Vines 

Diane Bator 

Marci Baun 

Victoria Chatham 

Bob Rich   

                       Sally Odgers